The NBA draft is one of the great sports television nights of the year so you know I'll be tuned in. Here are my predictions for the first round. Remember, this is what I think will happen, not what I think should (necessarily).
1. Washington Wizards: John Wall, PG, Kentucky
How do you think Gilbert Arenas handles being told that he no longer will always have the ball in his hands? Does he aim for another season-long suspension?
2. Philadelphia 76ers: Evan Turner, SF, Kentucky
Let's hope Doug Collins does a better job developing Turner than he did Kwame Brown.
3. New Jersey Nets: Derrick Favors, PF, Georgia Tech
Then again, maybe Mikhail Prokhorov really thinks he's getting Bosh and LeBron, in which case I guess he could trade Favors.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves: Wes Johnson, SF, Syracuse
You have no idea how much I want them to take another point guard though. Can't they work out a trade down to get Eric Bledsoe?
5. Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins, PF, Kentucky
Best wishes to Paul Westphal, who under this scenario will have to coach both the knucklehead Cousins and the borderline uncoachable Tyreke Evans. On the bright side, the Kings would then be interesting for the first time since the C-Webb/Peja/Bibby/Divac/Christie/Christie's wife years.
6. Golden State Warriors: Epke Udoh, PF, Baylor
Has Baylor ever had a player taken in the lottery? This has to be a first, right?
7. Detroit Pistons: Greg Monroe, C, Georgetown
Anytime you can take a center in the lottery who got dominated in the NCAA Tournament, you have to do it. Are we sure Joe Dumars is still alive? I don't think he's made a good move since the 2004 Rasheed trade and that came on the heels of draft Darko instead of the Carmelo/Bosh/Wade trio.
8. Los Angeles Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu, SF, Wake Forest
Chris Broussard of ESPN.com is reporting talk of a possible trade of this pick to the Bulls for Luol Deng and the 17th pick, which would officially take the Clippers out of the LeBron sweepstakes while better positioning the Bulls for two max players in free agency. While I would love for that to happen, I would be disappointed of the prospect of hearing after the fact stories from Mark Heisler of the Clippers courtship of LeBron. "Sterling was ready to make his move but when he spoke to Worldwide Wes, he immediately got confused and hired Mike Dunleavy instead."
9. Utah Jazz: Ed Davis, PF, North Carolina
The heir apparent to Carlos Boozer, only much worse.
10. Indiana Pacers: Gordon Hayward, SF, Butler
Disappointed he's not going back to Butler for another year. I was really excited about the Bulldogs being a possible preseason No. 1 (or No. 2 since Duke is probably going to be No. 1). Anyway, the Pacers hate to pass on white guys although there's talk of them trading down this pick to OKC.
11. New Orleans Hornets: Xavier Henry, SG, Kansas
If high schoolers were still eligible, how long would Henry have lasted in the 2009 draft? Third? Fourth? This year he'll be lucky to crack the lottery. By the way, I'm very intrigued by the idea of the Hornets somehow trading Chris Paul off to a team that's not owned by a clown like George Shinn (teaming with LeBron or Wade?) but I don't see it happening.
12. Memphis Grizzlies: Patrick Patterson, PF, Kentucky
It's not out of the question for Chris Wallace to offer up this pick, O.J. Mayo and Mike Conley to the Knicks for Eddy Curry to save this Knicks $2.5 million in cap space make it even easier for them to get LeBron and his buddies. If we've learned anything over the past decade with the Vin Baker and Pau Gasol trades, it's not to put anything past Chris Wallace.
13. Toronto Raptors: Avery Bradley, SG, Texas
It hasn't been a good couple of years for Bryan Colangelo and now he has to spend the offseason hoping for a quality sign-and-trade for Chris Bosh and that he can find a taker for Hedo Turkoglu's hideous contract. Good luck.
14. Houston Rockets: Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas
Someone has to play center when Yao Ming suffers his inevitable season-ending injury next season.
15. Milwaukee Bucks: Larry Sanders, PF, Virginia Commonwealth
Adding size as they try to continue their momentum from last season.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves: Paul George, SF, Fresno State
Anytime you can draft a player who couldn't carry his team to the Tournament and couldn't crack first team All-WAC in the first round, you have to do it.
17. Chicago Bulls: Jordan Crawford, SG, Xavier
Assuming the Bulls keep this pick, they need shooters for Derrick Rose (and LeBron when he signs in a couple weeks) to hit in transition and off their penetration. Done and done. Now we just need the Bulls to hire Gus Johnson as their play-by-play guy so we can recapture the Gus/Crawford combo from the awesome Xavier-Kansas State NCAA Tournament game.
18. Oklahoma City Thunder: Solomon Alabi, C, Florida State
This pick is going to OKC in a deal made with Miami yesterday. OKC now has the 18th, 21st and 26th picks to offer to move into the top 10, if anyone in the top 10 is willing to make such a move. I'm saying they stay here and take Alabi. Sam Presti knows he needs some size and some bangers to protect Durant, Green and Westbrook.
19. Boston Celtics: Eric Bledsoe, PG, Kentucky
Speculation is the Celtics are going to try and get rid of this pick because Danny Ainge isn't enamored with any of the prospects here. Andy Katz of ESPN.com reports that they are considering offers from Memphis and New Jersey for this pick. If Boston keeps it, Bledsoe makes sense for them because they can't really rely on Krypto-Nate to backup Rondo.
20. San Antonio Spurs: Craig Brackins, PF, Iowa State
The Spurs run was fun while it lasted but now they're the equivalent of, say, the 1990 Celtics: just good enough to maybe win an opening round and not much else. Would love for them to find a way to squeeze one more title out of Tim Duncan though. Maybe they could try to package Tony Parker to the Hornets for Chris Paul.
21. Oklahoma City Thunder: Luke Babbitt, SF, Nevada
Still think OKC trades a couple of these picks to move up.
22. Portland Trail Blazers: Kevin Seraphin, C, France
And our first international player goes! With the events surrounding Kevin Pritchard right now, I'm prepared for anything. Paul Allen trading Brandon Roy for the No. 1 overall pick? Sure! You name it, it's on the table.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves: Dominique Jones, SG, South Florida
Which teams from here on out will find guys who can contribute in the NBA within three years? Probably not Minnesota.
24. Atlanta Hawks: Hassan Whiteside, C, Marshall
Shot-blocker and not much else but at least it is a discernible skill.
25. Memphis Grizzlies: Daniel Orton, C, Kentucky
Another Calipari guy comes to Memphis.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder: Damion James, SF, Texas
Yet again, I don't think this pick will be made by OKC.
27. New Jersey Nets: Tibor Pleiss, C, Germany
We're at the point of the first round where European big men we've never heard of start to go. Plus, Prokhorov seems like a good bet to take a European player at some point.
28. Memphis Grizzlies: James Anderson, SG, Oklahoma State
Lakers fans can sit back and watch this pick knowing that its trade to Memphis helped them get Pau Gaosl.
29. Orlando Magic: Quincy Pondexter, SF, Washington
I can assure you it won't be a big man after the money they blew on Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass last offseason.
30. Washington Wizards: Dexter Pittman, C, Texas
That's right, two Longhorns in the first round even after they underachieved so spectacularly in the last two months of last season.
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